Burdens
by ElephantLover66
Summary: "And why did you decide to have an alliance with the Kou Empire and not the Reim Empire or Sindrian Kingdom?" "Oh, that? It's because I did a raffle." When she was visited by the great King Solomon hundreds of years ago, she didn't think much of it. But after a few hundred more years, she realized the favor he had asked for actually meant a lot more than she thought it would.
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

EL: New story, I won't be updating on this one much b/c I have to work A LOT on my other story, Puzzle Pieces. So sorry. Anyways, this is the prologue, hope you guys enjoy it! I DO NOT OWN MAGI

* * *

XX

_The woman flipped the page of the large book she was reading. "What do you want, Solomon? And what are you doing here? I know you usually disagree with my kind, am I right?"_

_Solomon chuckled nervously. "I actually came here to request a favor..."_

_The woman glanced up and raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And what could you want from me?" She placed a bookmark in the book and set it on the table beside her. Black rukh quickly settled on it, as if trying to protect it._

_"Well... you see..."_

* * *

_"What makes you think that I'll help you with that?" The woman stood up and her black dress swirled around her._

_"Please, Astra. My son can't do it alone and you're the only hope I have."_

_"I don't like being described as _hope. _I think the word despair suits me better."_

_Solomon was flustered. "Astra, just help me, _please._"_

_Astra smirked. "Oh, the gre__at and mighty King Solomon is begging for me to help him." She sighed. "I guess I might as well."_

_A ray of happiness flickered across Solomon's face for a second. "So... does that mean you'll grant my favor?"_

_Astra didn't even look like she heard him. "So, this'll go under the Ways To Kill Time Section..." she muttered to herself. Solomon sweatdropped._

_She looked up again. "I'm only granting this favor because I'm bored and because you're just going to pester me until I agree. But I'm also going to have to tell the other seven about this, is that okay with you, oh great and might King Solomon?"_

_He heard the sarcasm in her voice but ignored it. "Yes, thank you... Istrius."_

_"Don't call me that. And you owe me one."_

_"... of course."_

* * *

_"So, do we all agree on this favor?"_

_Of the eight figures sitting around the table, seven nodded. Astra, the eighth one, smiled. _

_"Alright. Then I want each of you to stain__ this rose." She held up a perfectly white rose. They did as she asked and slowly, bit by bit, the rose began to turn black as their blood dripped onto its petals. _

_"With this, our contract has been confirmed, Solomon."_

* * *

_ "What do you want, Leviathan?" Astra asked, not looking up from her book. "This section is quite interesting and I do not wish to be disturbed."_

_Leviathan bowed his head in apology. "I'm sorry, Lady Astra. But this is urgent."_

_"And what could be more urgent than me reading this book?"_

_"Lucifer just found out, but King Solomon has died."_

_The book was dropped to the ground. "Can you repeat that?" Astra's voice was no more than a whisper._

_"King Solomon has died."_

_Astra leaned forward to get out of her chair and Leviathan stepped back. Then she fell back. "How?"_

_"Even we do not know that."_

_Astra sighed and rubbed her right temple. "You owed me a favor, you _idiot_." A glass vase in the corner broke. "And you made me lose my page." A crack appeared in the ground next to her chair._

* * *

_Astra couldn't believe her eyes. "Solomon?"_

_The rukh nodded. "I've come to pay my debt."_

_"Well... I can't really ask for anything."_

_An eight-pointed star appeared on the back of Astra's right hand and she held it out in front of her to examine it. "What is this?"_

_"Proof that my debt has been settled."_

_"What did you give me?"_

_"The ability to use white rukh. Is that good enough for you, Astra?"_

_"... I guess." She made an impressed sound as she tested out her new powers. And when she looked up again, Solomon was gone._

_And she reached out for her book once again, waiting for the perfect time to execute the favor given to her. _

_"This will be interesting."_

* * *

EL: OH MY GOD THAT IS LIKE THE WORST ENDING EVER BUT I CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT SINCE MY INSPIRATION HAS DECIDED TO FLEE FROM ME CUZ I WORK HIM TOO HARD! I'm sorry if you don't like this chapter, I really am. Um... I forgot what else I was going to say, so bye!


	2. Chapter 2: Encounter

EL: I decided to update! (Even though I shouldn't)

Astra: Whatever.

EL: What?

Astra: I didn't say anything...

EL: Liar... *turns to crowd* I don't own Magi, only my OC.

* * *

The heels of Lucifer's boots clacked on the ground lightly, and the taps echoed throughout the hall, alerting Astra of his presence.

"Lady Astra."

"... Speak."

"I believe it is time to grant Solomon's wishes."

"_King _Solomon."

"His kingship means nothing to me, I do not wish to add that word to his title."

Astra sent an icy glare his way. "I _demand_ that you add the word king to his title."

"... Of course. To hear you is to obey."

"Now, I believe you were telling me to..."

"Grant _King _Solomon's wishes."

"Attitude, young man."

"I am a mere two centuries younger than you, nothing else."

"But you are still younger than me."

"We are straying from the topic." Lucifer smiled and tilted his head slightly, causing a stray lock of silver hair to fall in front of his eyes. He brushed it out of the way and continued smiling at Astra.

She sighed at him and flipped to a page in her book, which was, as always, in her hand. Skimming the page quickly gave her no satisfaction, since it only informed her that what Lucifer was saying was true.

A smirk played on his lips lightly. "So... shall we begin, Lady Astra?"

"... Yes."

* * *

_It is believed that before the great King Solomon had died, he had went to the realm of the demons- called Ruinisa, see scroll _Ruinisa: Home to the Demons _for more information- to make a deal with their leader, Istrius. He asked her to go to the new world he was going to create and protect the inhabitants living there. There was also another part to the favor, but no one knows what it is. Normally, a demon would have refused to, but King Solomon and Istrius had been childhood friends and she agreed to the favor, asking for one in return._

_Istrius discussed the favor with the other seven demon lords- to learn more about them, see scroll _The Eight Demon Lords\- _and they grudgingly agreed to it._

_Later on, King Solomon died and this sent Istrius into a rage, which caused the Great Rift to form once again in the new world- see scroll _The Great Rift of the New World _for more information._

_If King Solomon hadn't paid Istrius one last visit in the form of rukh, the new world might have been destroyed as well. He repaid Istrius' favor in advance by allowing her to use white rukh although she had fallen into depravity._

* * *

"This is stupid," commented Kouha.

Koumei yawned loudly, then continued reading. "It's not stupid. I like the writer of this scroll, his works are famous throughout the world."

Kouen finished reading and rolled the scroll shut. "I find this quite interesting." There was a hungry glint in his eye and his brothers knew that he was already fascinated with this (possibly) nonfictional story about King Solomon and the demon lord Istrius. "Do we have the three scrolls mentioned in the text?" He looked at his brothers.

Kouha flicked a bug off of Kouen's table, a bored expression on his face. "I don't know."

Koumei yawned again. "Yeah, I think I saw them in one of the shelves in the back." The prince handed a servant girl the scroll and glanced at her meaningfully. She found the names of the scrolls and quickly rushed off to find them.

The servant returned with three thick scrolls and set them on the desk lightly. She bowed and walked back to her position next to the entrance of the study. Kouen picked up the scroll Ruinisa: Home to the Demons and began to read.

* * *

_Ruinisa was a home for the demons, and hell for men. Its location is currently unknown, although many think it is located deep underground. An adventurer that has visited the place many times describes the hellish place as "not that bad". She (the traveler) has refused to give up the location of the place. However, I have persuaded her to give up some other information. The following sections have been written by her._

_Introduction_

_You readers out there (I know you're there!) might think that the beautiful place of Ruinisa (Well, not exactly _beautiful_) is "slimy" or "disgusting" or "fugly" or "stinky" or whatever but you guys are SO WRONG. And you'll find out why in this scroll. Okay, that was the worst ending ever but whatever. Hey, that rhymes! Kind of._

* * *

Kouha snickered. "I like her already."

Koumei rolled his eyes and yawned at the same time.

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* * *

_The Architecture_

_All the buildings in Ruinisa are made of an indestructible- trust me, I tried- black material. It feels like polished marble (I suck at writing, I'm sorry). The demons call the stuff _Sustainistric _(Sus-TAN-IS-trick) which roughly (VERY ROUGHLY) translates into the word_ unfaltering _in our language. Most buildings in Ruinisa are 4-5 stories high. The only building that's higher than that is the palace of the eight demon lords- yes, I'll talk about them-, which is eight feet high. The name of the palace (yes, there's a name for it) is _Istrius _(Is-tree-uhs) _Mistrita _(Miss-tri-tah), which translates into _Sinful Palace_. The_ Istrius Mistrita_ is made of _Sustainistric_ like the other buildings, but the _Sustainistric_ is also mixed with another material called _Tusmirk_ (TUZ-merhk)._ Tusmirk_ roughly translates into the word _reflective_ in our language. From what I've heard, _Tusmirk_ was created by the sixth demon lord as a weapon and it can only be created by him. _Tusmirk _is a very (VERY, VERY) dangerous substance. It is both indestructible and -as you can probably guess by now- reflective, as its name suggests. (So basically, if you shoot a laser beam at a block of _Tusmirk_, it'll bounce right back to you and explode your head off. Not that you would know what a laser beam is. Heck, even I don't know what a laser beam is. The words just popped into my head.)_

* * *

Loud shouting came from below and snapped the princes out of their reading.

Kouen let his gaze rest on a servant girl. "What's going on?"

"It seems like there is an intruder in the palace, Kouen-sama."

Koumei made an odd face. "An intruder? We haven't had one in a while." He sipped on a cup of tea.

"The intruder seems to have outran most of the guards, Koumei-sama."

The tea was spit out suddenly. "The intruder outran our guards?!"

"Yes, Koumei-sama."

"Those soldiers were trained by Kouha and Kouen themselves... how can this be?" Koumei muttered to himself quietly.

Kouen sighed heavily. "Kouha, go."

"Ehh? Why me? I want to read!"

"Kouha."

Kouha pouted. "Fine. But I want to read that scroll later."

"_If _you catch the intruder."

"Easy enough."

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A little while later, the same servant girl calmly informed them that "Kouha-sama" had been outran by the intruder. He had also collapsed on the floor due to the exhaustion of running around the palace multiple times. The intruder was also currently heading towards a place in their direction.

"Koumei. You go."

Koumei nodded at his older brother's request and quickly rushed out of the study with his metal vessel.

* * *

Later, the same servant girl told him (in an even calmer voice) that "Koumei-sama" had also collapsed, but this time, it was because he had used too much of his magoi in trying to prevent the intruder from gaining any more ground.

Kouen nodded at this piece of information. He stood up and was about to exit his study to confront the intruder himself, when he was stopped by a voice.

"Oh! There you are!"

* * *

EL: I hope that wasn't too bad.

Astra: It was.

EL: HUSH

Astra: No

EL: Fine. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and I'm sorry for any mistakes or anything. 'Till next chapter!


	3. Chapter 3: Interaction

EL: I'm back! With another chapter!

Astra: No one cares.

EL: I do...

Astra: Let's just pretend that you don't exist.

EL: Excuse me?

Astra: (sarcastically) You may be excused.

EL: *speechless* W-whatever. I don't own Magi!

* * *

"Well, you are Prince Ren Kouen, right?"

Kouen looked at the speaker. Her voice indicated that she was female, but her physical features were hidden to him due to a black, hooded cape that she was wearing. She fumbled with a large, black book that Kouen didn't notice was in her hand earlier. The woman flipped to a page in it and began reading off of the book.

"Um... red hair tied back in a small ponytail, red goatee," -a small snort was heard and Kouen narrowed his eyes- "tall, well-built," -another small snort- "thin eyebrows... yeah, you match all of these descriptions."

Silence, except for the chirping of birds.

"Soooo... Prince Ren Kouen?"

More silence. Except for the chirping of birds.

"Hello? Anyone in there?"

The woman walked strait up to Kouen and began to wave a hand in front of his face.

"Hello? _Hello?_"

In one swift motion, Kouen unsheathed his sword and swiped at the woman. She ducked down quickly. "Whoa! Chill, man. You don't even know why I'm here."

"Are you the intruder?"

"What?"

"Are you the intruder that managed to get past the palace guards and my brothers?"

"Am I?" The woman pondered for a while. "Uh... yeah! I am! And may I add that you need to improve your security?"

"Why are you here?"

"I thought you'd never ask! Well, I came beca-"

"There she is! Koumei! Hurry up!"

Heavy panting was heard. "I-I'm co-coming."

The woman turned her head to see who was at the doorway and Kouen took the chance to swipe at her again. This time, his blade was stopped short by the woman's hand. The sickening sound of a sword meeting flesh was heard and blood sprayed on the carpet of the study, staining it a deep red. The woman stared at her hand in what seemed to be boredom.

"Oh, so that's what human blood looks like..." she muttered to herself.

Kouen was confused. Was the intruder not human? Of course not, that was impossible...

"En-nii!"

_Kouha._

"Be careful around that guy! He-"

"Did you just call me a guy? Because I am _not_!" The woman sounded slightly offended.

"My brother and king!"

_Koumei._

"The intruder! She went through my magic circles without getting teleported!"

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_Ah, ah. We've only neglected humans for a few thousand years and look at what becomes of them, the weaklings._

_Shut your mouth, Lucifer. You talk too much. _

_Lady Asmodeus, you should be agreeing with m-_

_That red-haired guy looks pretty hot, doesn't he, Lady Astra? But that goatee... such a shame..._

_Lady Astra, please-_

**_Both of you. I will only tell you once. Imu voxya._**

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"My brother and king, what will you do?"

Kouen glanced towards the currently silent intruder. According to Kouha, she could run at an inhuman speed, and according to Koumei, she was able to pass through his magic circles without getting teleported.

The intruder spoke up again. "Okay, so, what did I miss?"

Kouen turned to her. "Why are you here?"

She was silent again, so Kouha spoke up. "I'm pretty sure you're after money, right?"

"Huh? No! Why would I want money?" The woman made it seem as if having money was the most absurd thing to do in the world.

"So you can be rich?"

"And why would I want to be rich?"

"... To earn respect?"

"Why the hell would I want to be respected?"

"Because it gives you power?" Kouha suddenly sounded unsure of himself.

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_Power! Lady Astra, if I can remember, power is your s-_

_Lucifer, can you please stop making such a racket with your... voice?_

_Lady Belphegor! Wonderful timing! Come and help me convince Lady Astra to-_

**_Lucifer! I will not be doing "it" to this country! In fact, I am allying myself with them! Do you know what that means?_**

_..._

_Lady Astra does make a point, Lord Lucifer... Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to get some sleep._

_... You mean some _more_ sleep?_

**_Lucifer._**

_Yes, yes._

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"She's not talking again."

"Hey, En-nii, what kind of information does the book in her hand have?"

"...I don't know."

Kouha smiled mischievously. "Hey, do you guys know what she looks like under her hood?"

Koumei shrugged and shook his head. Kouen stayed silent.

"I have an idea."

Koumei groaned. "Oh no."

"Let's pull down her hood!"

"That's rude."

"Intruding into someone's home is rude."

Kouha had a point, and Koumei knew it.

"Let's do it!"

"Fine..."

Kouha looked at Kouen. Kouen nodded his head no.

"Why not?"

"We haven't ev-

"You don't even know why I'm here, but you're already planning to pull a prank on me?"

Kouha quickly switched his gaze from Kouen to the woman. He tilted his head slightly. "Why _are_ you here, anyways?"

"That was exactly what I was going to tell Prince Kouen until you guys so _very _rudely interrupted me!"

"Just answer the question, woman!"

"Fine. I'm here to create an alliance between myself and the Kou Empire."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Kouen spoke up. "And why did you decide to have an alliance with the Kou Empire and not the Reim Empire or Sindrian Kingdom? They are quite decent countries as well."

"Oh, that?" The woman seemed to grin beneath her hood. "It's because I did a raffle."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"... What the fuck?"

* * *

EL: I guess I'll end there.

Astra: I don't like the personality you gave me.

EL: Too bad. Deal with it. *evil grin*

Astra: Then I'll call you "Fugly Tissue" from now on.

EL: NO! NEVA!

Astra: I will do it.

EL: YOU WOULDN'T! I OWN YOU!

Astra: I would. And do you think I care about the fact that you own me?

EL: ... What do you want your personality to be like?

Astra: Yangire. Mysterious. Childish. Playful. Prankster-ish.

EL: Okay... I'll try...

Astra: Good.

EL: Alright guys... bye. I'll try to update more, too. And have longer chapters, because I know this one was short. I'll try to make it over 2,000 words. Ok. Bye.


	4. Chapter 4: Alliance

EL: If any of you read my other fanfiction, Clouded, you guys know why I'm late on updating.

Astra: Well, I don't so tell me why.

EL: Password...

Astra: What?

EL: My password...

Astra: I can't hear you.

EL: I FORGOT MY PASSWORD, OK? I'M SORRY. I REALLY AM.

Astra: You're too loud.

EL: And you're annoying. *turns to crowd* Guys, Kouen's going to be really quiet in this chapter. It will be annoying (I'm sorry), but I just can't figure out a way to present his character. I don't own Magi.

* * *

The woman giggled as she observed the scene in front of her. An entire army's worth of men- they actually were, in fact, an army- was lying on the ground, unconscious, surrounding her. Some were twitching.

"I win the bet. Now I get to become a general, right?"

Three princes stared at the hooded woman in surprise, not able to comprehend what had just happened.

"Wait. Did she really just take down an entire army by herself? In like, 10 seconds? And that was... En-nii's army, right?" Kouha whispered to his brothers, Kouen and Koumei.

"Yes... This is unbelievable... my brother and king, if she becomes a general..."

"..."

* * *

**_Earlier... before the massacre... except no one was really massacred..._**

Kouha snickered quietly. "I like this girl. Astra, was it? Let's recruit her."

"But we don't know if she's capable or not. We need_ capable_ soldiers, Kouha," chided Koumei.

The woman shrugged. "I bet you could put an entire Kou army against me, and I would still win."

Kouha grinned, a mad look in his eyes. "You made the bet, girl." He turned to Koumei. "Let's do it."

Koumei, who was hiding his smiles behind his fan, asked her, "Wait. Do you have a metal vessel?" He didn't see how anyone would be so confident without one.

"No. What is that?"

Kouen found that amusing. A single _woman _against an entire Kou army? Without a metal vessel? The victor was obvious. He felt the corner of his lips twitch and struggled to keep himself from laughing.

"Alright." His two brothers turned to him in surprise. "I approve of this match. Would you like for me to inform the army that they should not kill you?"

"It's okay. But, please tell them to watch out, because _I_ might kill them instead." The woman seemed to be snickering quietly under her hood. "Oh, and if I win the bet, you'll make me a general, not a soldier or something stupid like that ok?"

Kouen felt his lips twitch again. "'You drive a hard bargain' is what most people would say. But if you can actually beat an entire army without a metal vessel, you should become a general."

"I'm glad we think the same way, Prince Ren Kouen."

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_What will you do, Lady Astra? Will you resort to using your strength, or wits?_

**_Lucifer, why is it that I always feel like you are always the most annoying little-_**

_Now now, Lady Astra, let's not use that kind of language._

**_Did you just interrupt my sentence?_**

_..._

**_There will be consequences._**

_... Yes, Lady Astra._

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* * *

_**Back to current time... yes, we're skipping the massacre...**_

Astra looked up to meet Kouen's eyes. "So, Prince Kouen, you will keep your promise... am I right?"

"..."

"Prince Kouen? Are you perhaps going back on your word?" Astra's voice was suddenly sickly sweet.

"No. General Astra, would you like to choose which province to guard?"

"..."

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_Hm? What's this? You're a _general _now, Lady Astra, oh great ruler of Ruinisa?_

_**Lucifer, I want to remind you that you are currently a level below me in social and authority ranks. I can also demote you to a lower ranking at any time I want, in case you forgot. I also want to remind you that I have not yet given you punishment for earlier, Lord Lucifer. Please keep your **_**pride _under control._**

_Hahaha, Lady **Istrius**, you wouldn't want do that. You know, my family holds a lot of power..._

**_Lucifer..._**

_Yes, Lady **Istrius**?_

**_Lucifer, I am aware about the amount of power your family holds. But, you know my family holds much more. And DO NOT call me by that name once more. Twice the punishment. Actually, thrice the punishment, since you called me that two times. Oh, and I think we'll pay a visit to Cerberus, just so I can prove to you my power. Be prepared to get cut into little pieces by me and fed to a _dog_._**

_...Yes, Lady-_

**Don't_ Lucifer._**

_I would never, Lady Astra._

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"Hey, En-nii."

Kouen turned his head slightly to face Kouha.

"Why isn't she doing anything?"

"She's probably thinking."

"She thinks too much."

"Prince Kouen. Can I ask for a favor?"

"What?"

Astra made an annoyed noise. "I'd... like to become your... uh... what do people call it? Adviser? Counselor? One of those things. Basically, a person who helps you through life. Because er... you look like you need some help. Of course, I'd still like to go onto the battlefield and kill some people, but yeah."

"I do not need an adviser."

"Please? I beat your entire army."

"..."

Koumei decided to step in. "My brother and king, I think it would be wise to have her as an adviser as well as a general. She seems to have a considerable amount of knowledge, and I think it would be wise to-"

"Alright."

The woman suddenly stood straighter. "Really?"

"Yes."

"Yay!"

Astra turned to Koumei. "Thank you, Prince Ren Koumei."

Koumei was surprised. "How do you know my name?"

She shifted beneath her cloak. "There's this little thing called communication, Prince Ren Koumei. You should try it sometimes, you might find that you actually like it."

"Well, I do know how to communicate..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Kouha exhaled through his nose loudly and gave Astra an irritated look. "Hey, can you take off your hood?"

"Why?"

"Because it's weird to not see someone's face."

"That's weird?"

"Yeah."

"Alright, fine."

A hand pushed its way out of the dark flaps of the cape, reached up, and pulled the hood down.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Ok, you actually look like a normal person."

"Of course I do, what were you expecting?"

"A demon? I don't know."

"Excuse me?"

Astra's appearance could actually be described as one opposite of a demon's (but that all depends on how you think a demon looks like).

Astra had a mature but somewhat childish appearance. Her long, slightly wavy black hair piled around her shoulders due to its length. Her dark eyes, thin black eyebrows, and light pink lips stood out on her otherwise pale face. Her right arm, which was still gripping on the cloak's hood, was also pale.

Koumei frowned. "Astra, do you have bad health?"

Astra tilted her head and stared at Koumei quizzically. "Why would you think that, Prince Ren Koumei?"

Koumei chuckled nervously and scratched his neck, not liking the formal his name was being said by a current ally. "You can just call me Koumei."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, since we're all allies, we should start getting used to each other by using first names. Is that alright, Kouha, Kouen?"

Kouha shrugged a yes and Kouen nodded his approval.

"Alright. Why did you think that I was sick?"

"Your skin is very pale."

"Hm? Really? This is actually considered a normal skin color among the people of my village. Your skin color is actually viewed as dark to my village. They say that you guys have problems and the problems are showing up on your skin, which makes it darker. I totally agree with them." Kouha cringed at her explanation.

At the mention of the word "village", Kouen became more interested in the conversation. "What is the name of the village are you from?" he asked Astra.

She shrugged. "My village doesn't have a name."

"What?" Kouha's face scrunched up, as if he had just smelled something really, really bad- like poop. "Why not?"

"Well, it helps us stay off the maps so we won't get attacked."

"Come to think of it, that's actually a smart thing to do." Koumei said, looking thoughtful.

"Yep. It's really effective."

Kouen stared at Astra. "Where is it?"

"The village? Why?"

"I want to visit it."

"Why?"

"Your village probably has a lack of certain things, and it might also have some things that we need or don't have, so perhaps trading would be possible."

"No need, Kouen my village was built on very rich soil and we have a lot of crystal mines and stuff like that so, we're fine."

Kouen raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Is that so?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I just want to see it even more now."

"Well, you can't."

"And why not?"

"The village leader doesn't like outsiders coming into the village."

"And who exactly is the village leader?"

Astra shifted and smiled up at the princes. "Me."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Kouha did a double take. "Wait, you're a village leader?"

"Yeah... why?"

"I just can't imagine a little _girl _like you being a leader of an entire village."

"I'm actually older than you, Kouha."

"Um, I'm 19, you know. And how can you be older than me? You're like, a foot shorter than me."

Astra glared at Kouha. "I'm only two inches shorter than you. And I'm older than you. I'm older than you too, Koumei."

"Wait, you're over 26 years old?!"

"Yeah."

"Ok, how old are you exactly?"

"I'm 28 years old."

Kouha and Koumei both simultaneously gave sighs of relief.

Kouha turned to look at Astra again. "That's good. At least you're not older than Entei. That would be weird."

"You mean Kouen?"

"Yeah."

"Hm... maybe I _am _older than him."

"_What_?!"

"I'm joking!"

Kouen made an irritated noise. "Astra, where is your village?"

"Kouen, I know about you. And if my instincts are right, you probably want to conquer my village and add it to your little collection of "countries and villages dominated by the Kou Empire", am I correct?"

"No, I simply want to do trade with your village."

"Thank you very much, but my village does not need any trading to happen at the moment. If we happen to need trading to occur, I will inform you, but right now we don't need any."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, very sure. In fact, just yesterday, I received a letter from the substitute leader, Lucifer. He told me not to worry, that there was nothing unwanted happening."

"Your village seems to be in very good condition. How far does it date back?"

"To the time before the great King Solomon lived."

"What?!" Kouen's face finally showed something other than "I don't care". It was interest. Kouha and Kouemi looked shocked.

Kouen slammed his palm on his table. "Tell me more."

Astra smiled sweetly. "I can't. Or, at least not today. Why don't we talk about this later, Kouen? I promise you more information, just on another day."

The first prince made a dissatisfied sound, but nodded his head in agreement, interest still showing in his eyes.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_Lady Astra, you didn't _have _to tell those idiots that you came from a _village_ when they asked you about your skin color, you know?_

**_Why not, Lady Belphegor?_**

_It would be a lot easier to just tell them that you were sick with some condition. It would probably have made them pity you and treasure you more. Ah, humans. Such ignorant, foolish creatures._

**_Well, Lady Belphegor, that probably would have actually made them break the alliance. They wouldn't want a diseased ally, would they? Also, the "village" gives them more information about my past, so they won't have to suspect where I'm from or whether I'm an enemy spy or not. It also keeps their interest in me, something I do not want to lose._**

_Lady Astra..._

**_Yes, Lady Belphegor?_**

_Your book... you do know, my friend, that the more you consult your book for advice... it... drains your life force..._

**_Don't worry about that, the curse will not have any effect on me._**

_But it-_

_**The curse will not harm me in any way.**_

_You don't know that, Lady Astra!_

**_Belphegor, why don't you trust me just a bit more? Just like when we were younger?_**

_...Of course, Lady Astra._

**_Besides, I didn't use my book to find out that I should do that. I have my own mind, too. Now, Lady Belphegor, you must be tired. Run along, and take a nap as always, will you?_**

_Of course, to hear you is to obey. Now, if you'll please excuse me..._

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Astra's POV**

Life as a human is such a pain; how do they stand it? I couldn't use my wings to travel at all (so I wouldn't raise any attention), it was way too hot (insert groans), and so many fugly-looking guys were coming up to me and asking me if I wanted to have a drink (what is that?), which was disgusting (hence, the cape). And, of course Lucifer just _had _to come along and make the entire journey to the Kou Empire _much_ more enjoyable for me by teasing me about how I was only capable about doing things an average human would be able to do. He and I are gong to have a long talk when I get back to Ruinisa, in which violence will probably (Did I say probably? I meant will) be included.

On the bright side, I got to form an alliance with the Kou Empire. I looked up to see a man with a long, black braid stare at me.

_Judal,_ my mind whispered, _the oracle/magi of the Kou Empire and Al-Thamen_. _According to rumors, he's annoying__. _I noticed he wasn't the only person staring at me. The three princes were, too.

I gave them an innocent "what's going on?" look. "What's wrong, Judal, Kouha, Kouen, Koumei?"

Judal kept a good pokerface on but I could see how his pupils dilated, just a bit, showing that he was surprised that I knew his name. If there was anyone who was an expert on masks, it was me.

Kouha stepped towards me and started poking my cheek. What an annoying little boy. "Judal was saying that your rukh felt weird."

I feigned surprise. "What do you mean?"

The great magi himself (insert muffled choking sounds) approached me, a scowl on his face. "Who are you?"

I smiled. "I'm Astra. Cut your hair, Judal. It's way too long."

His scowl deepened. "Huh? What do you mean my hair's long? A magi's hair is supposed to be at least_ this_ long. And what about your hair?"

"What about my hair?"

"It's long, too."

"But I'm a _girl. _I can have long hair."

"Says who?"

"Says me."

"No one cares about what you say."

"I do."

"I don't."

"I do, and you can't do anything about it."

"Well, I don't and you can't do anything about it either."

"Well, what if I don't care?"

"Well, then I don't care either."

Judal and I stared (glared) at each other. Meanwhile, Kouha forced Koumei to play rock-paper-scissors with him, Kouen started reading a scroll, and Koumei stomped on Kouha's foot because he won a round of the game.

What nice allies I have chosen...

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_**Lady Asmodeus. We need to talk.**_

_Yes, Lady Astra? Let me guess, you slept with one of the princes already? Oh you're such a seductress!_

**_No, unlike you, I don't have any interest in seducing men and the like._**

_Aw, you're such a bore! But I have lots of faith that you'll fall for that first prince, um... Ren Kouen, was it? He's a handsome man, isn't he? Except that goatee..._

**_Lady, we have already talked about his goatee, have we not?_**

_Yes, yes. But that goatee! It's so... unattractive!_

**_Yes, I know._**

_That other prince, Ren Koumei... he's... well... messy. Yuck._

**_Yeah, go on._**

_And Ren Kouha... he's okay, I guess._

**_Yes, Lady Asmodeus, your topics of interest are nice, but I did not call you to talk about that._**

_Oh? Then what did you want to talk about?_

**_I want you to answer this honestly._**

_Hm? Is it something important? Well, ok._

**_How is Lucifer doing?_**

_HUH? Are you perhaps... interested in Lord Lucifer?_

_**NO. NEVER.**_

_Ho? But... I heard that Lucifer was interested in you, Lady Astra._

**_Don't make me laugh. He does not love me._**

_...Who knows?_

**_Anyways, how is he ruling?_**

_He's actually governing Ruinisa pretty well, the lower classes love him._

**_Good to know._**

_Now if you'll excuse me, Lady Astra, I need to go-_

**_Meet some human males? Asmodeus, you need to control your _lust_._**

_Exactly. In fact, I'll be targeting the male servants in the Kou Palace. See you, Lady Astra!_

**_...Yes._**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Third person POV**

Astra sighed in the middle of her and Judal's epic glaredown. He narrowed his eyes but didn't stop glaring at her.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Tell me!"

"It's really nothing..."

"Just tell me!"

"No, no, it's okay..."

"What do you mean _it's okay_?!"

Sparks were beginning to fly off of Judal as he broke free of the glaring contest. Astra smirked at him. Kouen looked up from his scroll.

Astra leaned towards him. "Oh? So the great magi of the Kou Empire is about to lose his cool?"

"No."

"It doesn't seem that way..."

"Hmph." Judal crossed his arms and turned his head away from Astra. "It's not like I care about what you're thinking."

Astra started coughing uncontrollably to cover her laughs. "Yeah right."

"Tch."

* * *

_**In Runinsa...**_

Astra returned to her home to find that her fellow rulers were waiting for her.

Lucifer knelt down in front of her respectfully. "Welcome back, my love."

She gave him a long stare. "Say that again."

"Welcome back, my lo-" Lucifer winced and felt his cheek burn. The ruler of Ruinisa had slapped him. _Oh well_, he thought,_ I'm used to it by now._

"Lord Lucifer, I am sure that you're aware of the fact that you are't my lover?"

Lucifer smiled at Astra brightly. "Oh, but honey, you know that we are madly in love. You're just too shy to tell everyone!"

Beezlebub and Leviathan looked shocked.

A crack appeared in the ground next to Lucifer's foot. "Oh? And since when when was I your lover,_ Lord_?"

Lucifer's smile grew wider. _She's so easy to tease._ "You didn't forget the time when we slept toge-"

Blood splattered across the smooth floors of the castle. Astra withdrew her hand from Lucifer's stomach. He coughed up blood. "Lucifer."

Lucifer lifted his head and smiled slyly, blood flowing freely out of his mouth. "You're blushing." His actions were rewarded with a kick in the shoulder.

"I am not." She was.

Asmodeus gave Astra a twisted smile. "But Astra~!"

"What?"

"You really _are _blushing!"

"A-am not."

"Oh? Did you just stutter now? Could it be... you're actually interested in Lucifer?"

"No!"

"Hm? Your face tells me otherwise-"

"_SHUT UP!_"

* * *

_**After killing Lucifer five consecutive times...**_

Astra looked up from her book. "Yes, Lucifer? Have you come to propose your love to me again?"

He laughed. "Right as always, my lady. But then again, you might have found that out by consulting your book, am I right?"

"No, I figured that out on my own."

"It seems that you are gifted in both strength and intellect, my lady."

"Yes, yes. How are your wounds from earlier?"

"Ah! It seems that you truly do care for me!"

"_Shut up about that _and answer the question."

"My wounds are fine, lady."

"I see. Now go away."

"You have nothing else to say to me?"

"No."

"Are you not glad to see me?"

"No. Never."

"But you were blushing earlier~"

"_I WAS NOT_."

"Oh! That's right. Lady Astra, are you planning to spend the night here?"

"No."

"Hm? Why not?"

"Prince Kouen was kind enough to provide me with a room in the Kou Palace to spend the nights in. I am only here to check on how my country is doing."

"Come on, Astra. Would you like to sleep in my room again?"

In the blink of an eye, Lucifer's sword, which hung at his side, was drawn by Astra and used to cut his arm off.

He pouted and calmly walked over to pick up his (very bloody) cut-off arm. "Astra, even if cutting off my arm doesn't kill me, it still hurts, you know?" He stuck the arm back on and flexed it, checking for any problems.

"And that's exactly why I cut it off."

"You're such a meanie. Don't you think the torture you so graciously delivered to me earlier is already enough?"

"You deserved that as punishment. "

"No, no, Lady Astra. You did that to show how much you love me."

"Enough. Lucifer, if you are here for no other reason than to tease me, please leave."

"I'm here to ask if you want to spend the night in my room."

"And your answer is no. Now leave."

"Why, Lady? Is it because you have fallen for that lowly human prince?"

"No, it's because I simply just don't want to sleep with you."

"But remember that last time you-"

"_Lord Lucifer, you are_ _excused_."

* * *

EL: Was that long enough for you guys? Will you forgive me now?

Judal: No.

EL: You! I put you in the chapter and you thank me like this?!

Judal: I didn't get enough screen time.

EL: At least I put you in!

Judal: Meh.

EL: _DON'T "MEH" ME!_

Judal: Meh.

EL: *makes weird noises* Whatever... I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, I spent way too much time on it. I'm really sorry for any mistakes. Please insult me. Insults are good. Well then, see you guys in the next chapter!

P.S. I NEED HELP. PLZPLZPLZPLZPLZPLZ GIVE TIPS ON HOW TO WRITE KOUEN'S CHARACTER.


	5. Omake: The Brick (Part 1)

EL: I'm trying to figure out how to write the next chapter, so in the meantime, I'll be providing you guys with (hopefully) amusing omake(s) (or, extra/side chappies). Enjoy!

**Clarification/Warning: I'm going to switch between Lucifer and Astra's third-person POVs.**

**DISCLAIMER****: I DO NOT OWN MAGI.**

* * *

Lucifer sighed. He never thought it would come down to this. To him being so desperate for Astra's love and attention, he would throw a brick on her head.

Loves makes people do strange things.

His plan was:

1\. Get a brick.

2\. Climb onto a roof and wait until Astra passed by.

3\. Throw the brick down at her so hard, she gets amnesia.

4\. Tell her he's her lover.

5\. Get married.

It was a flawless, perfect plan with no kinks. At least none that he could see.

This was going to be _great_.

* * *

Astra's "Luciferdar" was tingling. After all the millenniums of dealing with his mischief, she had developed a unique, special, and one-of-a-kind radar that could detect if Lucifer was up to one of his tricks. Don't ask how.

_What the hell is he up to now?_

She heard soft footsteps approach her room and looked up from her book.

"My lady," Leviathan knelt at the foot of her throne as a sign of respect.

Astra made a quiet _hmm _sound. "What did Lucifer do to you this time?"

"Nothing, Lady Astra. But, do you not think that, today, you should go visit the citizens?"

_Why does he care all of a sudden? _The leader of Ruinisa waved her hand. "It's only been a decade since I last visited them, and that's not very long ago."

"Yes, but it wouldn't hurt to go again now, would it? After all, wasn't the fifth leader of Ruinisa, Lady Camellia, overthrown because she only showed her face to the Ruinisians once a century?"

"Incorrect." Astra frowned. "She was overthrown because she killed fifty-nine female demons, twenty-six male demons, and thirty-seven younger demons because she claimed they were "prettier than herself". She took money and valuables from whoever she pleased to build twenty-seven different houses- or should I say castles? -for herself. She was also found out to be an enemy spy from the Sauriliam Kingdom, which is our rival kingdom- _in case you have forgotten_."

Leviathan was shocked speechless for a few moments. "I-I'm sorry, I meant Lord Vladimir."

Astra trained a killing glare onto Leviathan. "Have your thoughts been disturbed? Do not _try_ to insult Lord Vladimir. He was Ruinisa's third and most expansive leader. Or did you forget that as well?" Her words were laced with poison.

"N-no."

"Then why did you state his name?"

"I-I meant to say L-lady Desdemona, my lad-"

"No matter. You asked me to go visit the citizens, was it?"

"Y-yes."

Astra took a quick glance at her still-open book. She smirked knowingly. Leviathan was confused and frightened at this sudden change in temper.

"Maybe I'll do just that."

Leviathan blinked and suddenly remembered his manners. He fumbled to kneel down and bow his head. "Of course, Lady Astra."

_Now_, he thought, _let's just hope that Lord Lucifer's plan goes smoothly._

* * *

Lucifer lay, arms crossed behind his head, on a roof of a wealthy noble's house. He felt himself dozing off when his sharp ears picked up sounds of cheers and shouts, coming from the west. He sat up quickly and craned his neck, trying to figure out what the commotion was about. He spotted her.

_Astra... looks like blackmailing Leviathan was worth it._

Turning his neck to gaze at the brick he had borrowed from a friend, he smiled deviously.

_Here goes nothing._

Waiting until the leader of Ruinisa was directly beneath him, he raised his arm (putting as much force as he possibly could into it) and threw the brick down.

It landed, smack-dab onto the center of her head.

He smiled and shrugged his shoulders, then patted himself on the back.

_Perfect._

* * *

Astra had to admit, going out to check on her citizens actually turned out to be amusing.

They were, at first, shocked to see her, but then treated her warmly. It was the first time in a few days that she had felt welcomed.

_I wonder what the princes are doing right now? I told them there was something going on in my "village" and they let me go back, which is good. How are they doing? I wish I brought my book... but that wouldn't be respectful..._

Astra returned her attention to a young female demon with stunning icy blue eyes and long, wavy, honey-colored hair. The young demon curtsied to her and Astra smiled at her in response. "Your eyes are very nice."

She smiled and curtsied again. "Thank you very much, Lady. I admire your mysterious onyx eyes as well."

Astra bobbed her head slightly and moved on to greet the next Ruinisians. While passing by Duke Spyro's house, she felt an ominous presence.

_Ah. This must be where-_

Everything went dark.

* * *

Lucifer made it seem like he had just been passing by when he had seen the brick fall. As he ran towards the fallen Astra, he could see the Ruinisians crowd around her, panicking. Some of them were examining the brick that Lucifer had used to knock out Astra (of course, they didn't know that it was _Lucifer_ who threw it). A few brave demons even reached out to try and shake her awake, but to no avail. Lucifer shoved them all aside, until he reached Astra.

It was horrible.

The brick had tore cleanly through the skin on Astra's head, and dark red- nearly black -liquid was seeping freely out of the injury.

Demon blood.

Thanks to the fact that Astra had incredibly powerful healing abilities as a demon lord, the wound closed up almost immediately. Her eyelids fluttered open.

"Hm? Who are you?" She gazed directly into Lucifer's blood-red eyes.

_Success, _he thought.

* * *

Astra knew that from the moment she "woke up",(*cough*yeah_ right_*cough*) she would have to act like she had lost all her memories of Lucifer and pretty much anything else associated with him.

That was what he expected, after all. But did the asshole _really_ think that getting hit on the head with a brick would make her get amnesia? He'd have to do much more than that. _Much _more.

She caused her eyelids to flit open, as if she had just woken up from a deep sleep.

"Hm?" She stared innocently at a worried-looking Lucifer, who was conveniently crouching right in front of her. "Who are you?"

She saw something flit across his eyes quickly. Triumph.

_This little bastard... triumph, huh? I wonder how far he'll take this._

* * *

Lucifer picked up Astra, bridal style. She blushed, making Lucifer feel proud and smug.

"W-what? Where are you taking me? Who are you?"

Ruinisians gathered around the spectacle. The female demons giggled and whispered among each other, delighted that their leader had finally seemed to find her "special someone" (Um, no). The male demons grumbled, since most of them had wanted to have Ruinisa's leader fall for _them_.

Lucifer looked down at Astra with a worried expression plastered on his face. "Astra, are you alright?"

She blushed a deeper red. "N-no I'm not! Who are you?"

He faked a shocked expression. "Could it be... have you forgotten me?!"

The Ruinisians around them gasped. Astra looked at Lucifer with a puzzled expression. "Um... I don't-"

"We need to get you back to the castle _now_!" Lucifer spread his large, bat-like wings, making the demons in the crowd widen their eyes in surprise and disbelief. Demon lords very rarely used their wings, and when they did, it was only for extreme emergencies. That was the rule.

The leader of Ruinisa was blushing hard now. "D-don't y-y-you know th-that you should only u-use your w-wings when th-th-there's an ex-extreme emergency?" She was stuttering horribly, and her words were hard to understand.

Lucifer understood her perfectly, though.

"But Astra," he leaned down to kiss her forehead, "_you_ are an emergency."

And with a flap of his wings, the two were off and headed for Istrius Mistrita, the castle of Ruinisa.

* * *

Astra knew that would happen. She just _knew_ that Lucifer would kiss her. She wasn't sure _where_, though. So when he kissed her on the forehead, she found herself letting out a breath that she was holding.

_Good,_ she thought, relieved, _at least he has the common sense to not kiss me on the lips right away. Now I can die happy. _She heard herself snort quietly. _As if._

She looked up at him. (Probably) Fake worry was etched clearly onto his face, along with a hint of guilt. He looked down at her and she feigned a blush, looking away.

"Astra, are you all right?" He leaned down to properly face her.

She leaned back and forced herself to blush harder. "I-I'm fine! I just want to know who you are!"

He smiled at her. "Why, I'm your lover Astra."

_Mhmm. As if I would believe you, you piece of crap._

She strained to blush even harder, which shouldn't have been possible, but she managed. "Wh-what?"

Lucifer looked up again. "I'll explain _everything_ to you once we get to the castle, my love."

_If "everything" means "all the lies I'm going to feed you", then okay, we're on the same level of understanding each other. _

* * *

Lucifer couldn't believe his luck. His plan was turning out exactly how he had wanted it to. And the best part was that Astra seemed to be falling for him. He could barely contain his gleeful smile.

The heels of her elegant glass slippers clacked loudly on the floors of the Istrius Mistrita. The sound bounced off the walls of the hushed castle and echoed throughout it.

He looked down at the slightly shorter 5"6 woman. He caught her staring at him and she quickly looked away, blushing again.

Lucifer smirked and grabbed Astra by the arm. "Oh? Astra, were you perhaps... staring at me?"

She frowned and blushed cutely. "N-No I wasn't!"

His smirk grew wider. "Are you sure?"

She turned her face away from him. "Y-Yes!"

"If you say so."

The pair continued to walk down the empty halls until they reached a room. Namely, Lucifer's bedroom. He smirked.

_But she doesn't know that now, does she?_

He opened the door for Astra. "Come in."

She gave him a suspicious look. "Why? Where is this?"

Lucifer ignored the second question. "Of course it's to tell you all about our relationship!"

She blushed. "W-well... okay."

_Yep. She's totally falling for me._

She walked into his room, quietly taking in all of the surroundings. He smiled and walked in behind her, closing the door. And locking it.

* * *

_Hm... am I acting like I'm falling for him? Shit... I should've read more on how to seem like you're falling for someone..._

Astra walked into Lucifer's room and pretended to be interested in the environment. She heard him walk in right behind her, then closing the door. She heard a tiny _click _and held back a sigh.

_He locked it, didn't he?_

She spun around to face her so-called "lover". "H-hey."

The asshole smiled down at her. "Yes?"

"Wh-what's your name?"

The asshole's face turned sad.

_Sad, my ass._

"So... you've forgotten everything about me, haven't you?"

_You wish._

"Yes."

The asshole walked up to her slowly and took her hand, placing it between his. "Don't worry, I'll still love you, and I always will. No matter what."

She feigned yet another blush. "R-really?"

"Yes. Now, let's remind each other of our relationship, shall we?"

"S-sure."

_This asshole is surprisingly deep. He would make a good husband... just not for me._

* * *

EL: I'm going to split this into two parts, since it's going to be superlong and I'm too lazy to write it all in one sitting.

Astra: What's going to happen? I'm not going to do anything with that asshole, am I?

EL: We'll see... bye guys!

P.S. I still need more tips on how to write Kouen's character... plz help?


	6. Omake: The Brick (Part 2)

**I literally have no idea why I even wrote The Brick (Part 1) anymore. Now, I just look back on the idea and question what the hell I'm doing with my wasted life. I think pressure from school caused all this. (Yes, I'm blaming school) Anyways, enjoy!**

_**Btwbtwbtw: One of my friends told me to describe what Lucifer looks like and what he wears. Just think of Ferid Bathory from Owari no Seraph and there you have it.**_

**I DO NOT OWN MAGI!**

* * *

"First of all," Lucifer began, a pleasant smile spread across his face, "tell me what you would like to know."

Astra made a _hmm _sound, eyebrows crinkling together slightly, in deep thought. "Well, all I really want to know is your name..."

"That's it?"

"Hm? Yeah."

Lucifer's eyes softened, and he appeared hurt-even though, secretly, deep-down, he was barely holding himself back from creating more mischief and telling yet another lie. "Really? You don't want to remember anything else?"

"No, I just want to know your name."

The male sighed. "Alright. My name is Lucifer, Astra dear."

She nodded, emotionless, and stood up. "Then, excuse me, Lord Lucifer," she said, and calmly walked out of his room, murmuring something under her breath.

He jumped up from his spot on his bed, muttering obscenities under his breath quietly. He watched as Astra disappeared behind a corner, and out of his field of vision. Lucifer sped himself up, trying to catch up to her.

_How did she get there so fast? She was walking slowly, wasn't she?_

He turned the corner, to face another long, empty corridor. Frowning, he started down it quickly. How did she disappear so quickly?

"Looking for me?"

Holding in a scream, he whipped around, his silver streak of a ponytail landing on his shoulder. Brushing it aside, he looked down to see Astra staring at him curiously. He felt the nausea inside him settle down and he smiled brightly at her.

"Yes, I was, actually."

She blinked at him, curiosity shining even brighter in her eyes. She fiddled with her fingers adorably, and the silver anklets on her feet clinked together lightly as she shifted, creating a pleasant ringing sound that echoed throughout the hall.

"Wh-Why?"

He grinned, showing teeth. _Time for another little... white lie._

"I was going to remind you about our wedding, my love. It's happening in five days, have you forgotten?"

_White lie my ass. But whatever._

Astra blushed pleasantly, her cheeks turning a dark red. "W-we're getting married?"

"Yes."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"_Lucifer._"

He cocked his head, clearly sensing the dangerous tone lacing her voice. He unknowingly took a nervous step back, not knowing what to do. Astra's head was turned down towards the ground, and Lucifer could feel and see a suffocating grey aura surround her.

"M-my love?"

Astra's hand lunged towards Lucifer's neck and closed on it quickly, holding it in a firm grip. He blinked nervously and laid an arm on her outstretched one. "A-Astra?"

"Shut up, scum." She brought up her free arm and severed it through his, causing blood to spray all over them. "Did you_ really_ believe that you could have me lose my memory by simply throwing a brick on my head?"

"Y-you didn't lose your memories?!"

She smiled dangerously at him. "_Of course not_. I remember everything, my dear_ fiance_." Sarcasm oozed from her words. "And to think that you even gave me a pet name... you deserve to die, Lord Lucifer."

He grinned nervously to cover up his otherwise shocked face. "Now now, Astra. It was all just a harmless prank-"

"I had a fucking _brick_ thrown onto my head. I had blood _pouring_ out of my head. Yes, that is _exactly_ what I'd call harmless."

"Well, you recovered nicely, didn't you? Look-" he gestured at the top of her head, "-no bald spots or anything! You're fine!"

She laughed cheerfully. "Lord Lucifer, if I tell the citizens about this little _prank_ of yours, you'll be dethroned. Would you like that, or would you like to be killed right here and now? I'll be such an easy death. After all, I just need to separate your head from your neck... you should be honored that you'll be executed by me. So, which will it be? Death? Or loss of your_ pride_, the thing that you're so proud of? You _are_ the second ruler, governing over the sin of Pride. It's only natural for you to have more of it than anyone else."

Lucifer broke free of Astra's increasingly tight grip by severing her arm. He appeared next to his owns, grabbing it, and then appearing again a few meters away from her. She grinned madly, and held her amputated arm up to her shoulder, flexing it after it reattached. Lucifer did the same with his, although his healing process was a bit slower.

"Are you choosing to fight me? Although you know this is a battle you won't win..."

He raised a hand up in her direction, and two dark purple magic circles appeared, one above her and the other below. Identical symbols decorated the edges of the circles, and they connected together to form a cage. Astra smirked.

"Insulation magic? I never expected you to go on the defensive side."

A larger magic circle, this time colored blue and decorated with intricate yellow patterns, expanded above the trapped Astra. She frowned, and clicked her tongue. Lucifer smirked and twitched a finger downwards, signaling for the magic to activate. Multiple beams of electric blue lightning shot down into the cage, electrifying Astra.

When the smoke cleared, Astra sat, collapsed in the middle of a deep crater. She painstakingly grinned, seeming impressed. "Exactly what I'd expect from a fellow demon lord. That was level eight insulation magic and level nine lightning magic, right off the bat. Good, good." She smirked and easily stood up, brushing rubble off her simple black dress. "It's my first fight in a few centuries, Lord Lucifer. Thank you for being so straightforward. All the citizens are too cowardly nowadays to challenge me for the throne, so please pardon my rustiness."

He gritted his teeth as Astra performed a quick, effective healing magic. "You say that, although you're performing a level ten healing magic. Do not expect me to go easy on you, since we _are_ fighting for my life."

She grinned. "How rude."

The two rushed towards each other again at a speed so fast, they couldn't be seen with the naked eye. Lucifer landed a deep scratch on Astra's cheek, and she glared back at him. He smirked, proud at himself for doing so. "It looks like I'm overpowering you. What was it that you said earlier? I wouldn't win this battle? Well, dear, I already am."

"Lord Lucifer, would you like to know _why_ no one challenges me for the throne?"

That's when Lucifer noticed that the cut on Astra's cheek wasn't healing, like it usually would have. Dark blood dripped out of it slowly, and he took a step back, unsure of what powers the woman would demonstrate now. No one knew the full extent of Astra's abilities, which made most people hesitate to challenge her for her position. Every match held against her ended with the opposing side dead or mute at the very least, and no one knew what tactics she had used on the poor demon, since the trials were held in closed rooms.

His eyes widened with horror as the blood dripping down her pale cheek morphed into a sharp dagger. Astra caught it as it fell, and held it up for him to see. It glistened in the purple light provided by the castle lamps.

"This, Lord Lucifer, is blood manipulation. It's wonderful, isn't it?"

In a flash, she threw the dagger at him, and he quickly dodged it. What he wasn't expecting, though, was for the thin dagger to expand into a wide blade right before striking his face. He couldn't move out of its cutting range in time and a deep gash was delivered to the entire left side of his head. The blood turned right into a liquid again, floating back to Astra and hovering over her hand. She grinned sadistically.

"If you land even a scratch on me, your chances at winning are only decreasing. This is level ten blood manipulation magic, Lord Lucifer. Truly spectacular, don't you agree? And isn't it simply _beautiful_ that only I am capable of performing it? The main types of magic that actually have an effect on me are telekinesis and the like. Water magic isn't bad against me either. Although, I can easily counter and cancel out yours... Do you see how this is a losing battle now?"

An explosion of water surrounded the woman after she finished her sentence, imitating a bubble. Lucifer laughed triumphantly. "Even if demons don't require oxygen to survive, once I activate lightning magic again, it'll be over, Lady Astra. This time it'll be level ten."

She glared venomously at him, but the expression of loathing quickly turned into a sweet smile. "Haha, it's not that easy to kill me, Lord Lucifer."

She took the solidified blood dagger and plunged it into her chest, making her grimace in pain. The action left a deep, gaping hole in her thorax, and dark liquid exited her body, pouring into the water. Lucifer clucked his tongue, immediately catching on to what she was doing. "Don't tell me you can control the water once it's mixed with your blood..."

"I won't, since it's not true. I can control_ anything_ once it's mixed with my blood."

The bloody water defied gravity and swirled around in the air, controlled by Astra. Lucifer held his hands up in the air, surrendering. A nervous smile slowly spread across his deathly pale face, and Astra's eyes twinkled triumphantly. The water plummeted towards the ground, splashing onto Lucifer's white-and-black clothes, staining it a light shade of pink.

"I give up, Lady Astra. You win. Please, just make my death quick and painless."

She laughed. "After everything you've done to me? Of _course_ I'll make your death as quick-excuse me, _slow and painful_ as possible. Oh wait, you don't even deserve to die!" Her voice turned sickly sweet and just a bit dangerous. "What should I do to make you pay? Hm..."

Lucifer tried slowly backing away, silently shuffling backwards, but abruptly hit an invisible surface while doing so. He squinted and tapped it lightly once, immediately feeling a powerful shock jolt through his body. Steam slowly rose from his blackened, once-ashen gloves, and Lucifer quickly looked up to see Astra smiling deviously at him.

"Lightstroke... impressive..."

She smiled angelically. "The spell only the most efficacious demons can perform... Using it is literally harnessing the power of a lightning god and morphing its power to whatever you'd like. You'll have about 0.2 seconds to control it, and in those 0.2 seconds, you're completely invincible. Combine that with some simple invisibility magic, and you've got a nicely roasted Lucifer._ Delightful!_ I'd like to have a rare Lucifer steak, please."

"I'm not a types of food you can just order whenever you feel like, Astra."

"But you surrendered to me."

Thin streaks of light circulated around Lucifer quickly, and he cursed loudly, not recognizing this new type of magic. The ends connected together, imprisoning him in a blinding incarcerate of light. The beams flashed suddenly and proceeded to quickly burn through Lucifer's cape, boots, gloves, and other articles of clothing. From then on, the light continued its excruciating treatment by simmering through the demon lord's skin, until it reached his flesh. He screeched in agony.

Belphegor popped her head out from behind a corner, looking half-asleep. "Hm? Astra? Who's tha-oh. Hello, Lord Lucifer. You look... dashing."

His only response was moans and screams of torment. The dark-haired woman standing next to him smirked happily. Belphegor blinked and yawned tiredly, thinking of how cute of a couple her friend and Lucifer would be if they weren't at each other's neck all the time. For all she knew, they had been planning each other's assassinations for the past six centuries or so. Well, Astra was. But that was because Lucifer was being a "dick" and "asshole" and also the occasional "pedophile"(according to Astra).

"Hey Astra," she began, the thought suddenly dawning upon her, "Since when could you use light magic anyways? It's supposed to be deadly to us, but you..."

Her friend giggled childly and snapped her fingers. The light sphere containing the second ruler rose up into the air, shaking the demon inside of it slightly. She let out another screech, his voice now sore.

Astra waved her hand. "The first ruler herself received something special from her brother a few hundred centuries ago."

"Astra, I know that you govern over the sin of Power, but even demons have their limits. Light magic has been strictly restricted from us by Allah, and even if your brother has become one with him, that does not benefit you with anything-"

But Astra was gone, along with Lucifer.


End file.
